Accoustic Archtop

[kayakman]

Anyone have any thoughts on what microphone to "mike" an archtop??

[Archtop Guy]

For live amplification or for recording?

For live, I like my old AKG C1000, but I have used a standard SM57 and it's OK. Most important is placement. I like the mic centered over the strings, sort of over my picking hand, closer to the bridge than to the neck. The good thing about that spot is that it's pretty loud, which gives you better S/N, and some extra feedback resistance. Avoid putting the mic over the f holes, which just encourages the low body resonance feedback. No matter where you place the mic, having good EQ will really help.

For recording, your imagination is the only limit. But I like my C414 over the neck/body joint, maybe nine inches out, and my C391 over the bridge. This is a pretty standard approach and gives you lots of options in the mix.

Tell us more about your goals, setups, and challenges and we can probably get closer to helping you.

[Steve DeRosa]

http://www.americanmusical.com/Item-...m_medium=feed&

Looks like an archtop mic should...

[uburoibob]

If you are talking about recording, check out the sound on Steve Greene's releases. If you like what you hear, I'll post about how I recorded it.

http://stevegreene.com/download/track1.mp3

Bob

[Grenade]

That sounds great Bob. We need to know now.

[Spook]

That does sound good Bob..

[s2y]

That sounded breathtaking. No lie.

[uburoibob]

I will credit my friend Seth Waltz with the miking technique. But first, getting the band set up in their performance formation, so that they could hear and react to each other and have just the right amount of ambience coming into such set of mics was important. We moved the band around the basement studio for a week until we found the sweet spot. The guitars were a 1947 L7 and a 40s Epi Triumph. The mics used were two Neumann large diaphragm and two Neumann small diaphragm.

The large diaphragms were a U87 and a TLM 170. The small ones were a pair of KM184s. For each Archtop, I placed a large diaphragm mic in front of the neck body joint, and a small diaphragm mic aimed at the treble side of the bridge. Then, with headphones and a long cable, I tweaked each mics's position until it sounded right. Interestingly, the larger diaphragm mics were better for picking up the transients and the small ones grabbed the bottom end without running away with it.

Since then, that has been how I have miked a traditional Archtop.

When recording some of Ken Parker's Archtops, because the sound port is on the edge of the upper bout, I place a large diaphragm mic over the left shoulder of the right handed player and a small one near the bridge. You can hear some of that on Ken's site: http://kenparkerarchtops.com

Hope this helps. Happy to answer anything I may have missed.

Bob

[Grenade]

Thank you.

[uburoibob]

While I had the luxury of Neumann mics, other good mics will be fine. I think it's the technique that really drives it home.

Bob

[Grenade]

Should a guy try this same mic technique on a resonator?

[uburoibob]

Originally Posted by Grenade

Should a guy try this same mic technique on a resonator?

I am one of those folks who believes there are NO limits on what you can try. On a resonator, considering the bridge is on the resonator plate, you might find low end elsewhere on the guitar. Toss a good set of headphones on and listen and see what sounds best. Might be a single mic from a foot or so away, might be a more closely miked setup. Give it a shot. I'd love to hear what you come up with.

Bob

[s2y]

What kind of strings? Which CD is this track on?

LOL, I think some sort of acoustic arch top is now on my radar. This is the bad part of the internet. I remember back in the day and seeing guitars in magazines. Big deal. Some are pretty, some not. Now I can see a pic of a guitar and hear it. Bad for the wallet.

[uburoibob]

I believe they used D'Addario J-16 or 17 phosphor bronze. Were probably the mediums (17).

That cut is from Acoustic Living. I think it's the first cut.

Bob

[Grenade]

Using our PA and 2 58's that were on hand, your mic placement sounded the best but it was mainly the neck mic with some of the bridge mic mixed in. Obviously this isn't recording but it did sound really good.